The Short Stories Of Oscar Wilde : An Annotated Selection

The Short Stories of Oscar Wilde by Oscar Wilde

Paperback
Pages: 325
Date of Release: 2020

An innovative and beautifully curated edition of nine classic short stories from one of the most brilliant voices of the Victorian era, The Short Stories of Oscar Wilde: An Annotated Selection brings Wilde’s storytelling genius vividly to life for modern readers.

“I cannot think other than in stories,” Oscar Wilde once remarked—and this collection proves just how true that was. Featuring timeless tales such as “The Happy Prince,” “The Nightingale and the Rose,” and “Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime,” this volume captures Wilde at his most imaginative, witty, and subversive. While some of these stories were long believed to be written for children, Wilde himself insisted they were meant for all readers who had preserved a sense of wonder, empathy, and joy.

Accompanied by insightful facing-page annotations by renowned Wilde biographer and scholar Nicholas Frankel, this edition provides rich historical, literary, and cultural context, helping readers appreciate the deeper layers of satire, symbolism, and social critique woven into each tale. A wide-ranging introduction further situates the stories within the repressive moral climate of Wilde’s time—a society he would later indict through his work and ultimately suffer under.

Balancing fairy-tale beauty with tragic undertones, forbidden love, and sharp criticism of Victorian hypocrisy, these stories remain strikingly relevant today. Published in the form first encountered by Victorian readers, this annotated collection is both an accessible introduction and a rewarding rediscovery of Wilde’s short fiction.

Elegant, poignant, and endlessly thought-provoking, this book is an essential addition for lovers of classic literature, literary criticism, and Oscar Wilde’s unforgettable voice.

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